Ambassador Outdoor Journey—It Includes Detailed Meeting Outlines and All Related Resources

Welcome to the Outdoor Journey for Ambassadors! This document is a step-by-step guide for completing the Ambassador Outdoor Journey—it includes detailed meeting outlines and all related resources. The Ambassador Outdoor Journey consists of three badges: Outdoor Art Master, Water, and Survival Camper. It also includes a Take Action project and award. You’ll find that the Ambassador Outdoor Journey is rich and robust because it covers a lot of essential skills that girls need in order to be successful in their outdoor pursuits. To complete the Journey, girls will complete these meetings in the following order: • Outdoor Art Master badge (2 meetings) • Water badge (2 meetings) • Survival Camper badge (2 meetings) • Take Action (3 meetings) In the descriptions for each meeting, you will find callouts to “meeting aids.” These meeting aids are grouped together, in the order in which they will appear, at the back of this document. The content found in this package can be downloaded and is identical to what is now available on the Volunteer Toolkit, which means it is written to the intended audience of an adult volunteer. We hope you will find everything you need to facilitate these programs—and just as importantly, we hope your Ambassador Girl Scouts will find them exciting, challenging, and fun.

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Girl Experience team at GSUSA at [email protected]. Outdoor Art Master 1

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers:

About the Ambassador Outdoor Journey: The Ambassador Outdoor Journey consists of three badges—Outdoor Art Master, Water, and Survival Camper—and three Take Action meetings. To complete the Outdoor Journey, have girls complete the meetings in the following order: • Outdoor Art Master badge (2 meetings) • Water badge (2 meetings) • Survival Camper badge (2 meetings) • Take Action (3 meetings) Outdoor Art Master Requirements: There are two meetings for Ambassadors to earn their Outdoor Art Master badge. Parts of the meetings can be held in a meeting room, but girls will have to go outdoors to places where they can experience nature. Add an Extra Meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the badge requirements.

Prepare to Take Girls Outside: To earn the Outdoor Art Master badge, girls must head outside to explore nature. Get support from your council and GSUSA for information about best practices for Girl Scouts in the outdoors: • Check Safety Activity Checkpoints guidelines before planning any camping trip or outdoor activity. • Explore Venture Out! http://gsuniversity.girlscouts.org/resource/venture-out/, an online resource that provides guidance to volunteers less familiar with taking girls outdoors. • Read the book Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting for helpful tips. • Check out the Outdoor Progression Chart here. https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts- gsusa/forms-and-documents/for-adults/volunteer/GSUSA_OutdoorProgression.pdf • Read Explaining Leave No Trace in Meeting Aids: An important part of preparing girls for the outdoors is to help them understand and embrace the seven basic principles of Leave No Trace.

Prepare Ahead • Cut out circular frames from cardstock (can be any color) for Activity 3: Make a Nature Sun Catcher. Can be any size, as long as the circles are all the same size. (Optional: embroidery hoops, one for each girl) • Cut square sheets of contact paper, 2 for each girl, large enough to cover circular frames (for Activity 3: Nature Sun Catcher) • For Activity 5, cut a variety of vegetables. This activity works best if the vegetables are a variety of colors and shapes, so for example, cutting long strips or stalks as well as slicing round discs would be great. Check in advance for any allergies. • For Activity 6, test your recording device in the meeting place. Identify a place that is quiet so your recording is as clear as possible.

Ask your network to help: • Bring supplies for meetings • Bring a camera, smartphone, or video camera to document the meetings and campout • Assist with activities in meetings Award Connection Ambassadors will not earn a badge in this meeting. They will earn their Outdoor Art Master badge at the end of Meeting 2. Note: You can buy the Outdoor Art Master badge, one for each Ambassador, from your council shop or on the Girl Scout website.

Meeting Length 90 minutes • The times given for each activity may be different depending on how many Ambassadors are in your troop, so adjust accordingly. • Give Ambassadors 10- and 5-minute warnings before they need to wrap up the last activity so you’ll have time for the Closing Ceremony. • Some activities might require more time, so add an extra meeting if you need to.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Art Sense • Sketch paper • Pencils Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Art All Around • Flag • Canvas or poster board, one for each girl • Brushes • Paints • Charcoal • Pencils • Markers Activity 3: Nature Sun Catcher • Circular frames from cardstock, one for each girl (Optional: embroidery hoops, one for each girl)

• Clear contact paper, two pre-cut sheets for each girl • Scissors • Artificial leaves, flower petals from craft store • Packet of seeds, one for each girl Activity 4: Lashing Art • Fallen wood and sticks girls collect outdoors (Note to volunteer: If girls are not near a wooded area, provide wood or sticks from a craft or home repair store.) • Clay • Nylon cord, enough for each pair of girls Activity 5: Edible Art • Variety of cut vegetables • Toothpicks Activity 6: Gallery Tour • Recording device or smartphone with a microphone • Index cards • Paper • Pens Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Art Animated • Recordings from previous activity • Artwork from the meeting

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Art Sense

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • Sketch paper • Pencils

Steps Welcome Ambassadors and ask them to write down ideas for a piece of black and white art.

SAY: Take a few minutes to brainstorm some ideas for your artwork. The piece you create will be painted or drawn in black and white.

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Art All Around

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Flag • Printout of Leave No Trace for Older Girls, one for each girl • Canvas or poster board, one for each girl • Brushes • Paints • Charcoal • Magazines (for photo collages) • Scissors • Glue • Pencils • Markers Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Ambassadors review Leave No Trace principles. • Ambassadors create a piece of black and white art. SAY: Earning your Outdoor Art Master badge gives you a chance to get inspired by the beauty in nature and use that inspiration to get creative. When you go outdoors to explore nature and create your art, it’s important to know the Leave No Trace principles.

Have girls read their Leave No Trace for Older Girls printouts. Ask if they have any questions about the principles.

SAY: When you came in, you came up with a few ideas for something you’ll create in black and white or shades of grey. Use the supplies now to create that art. As you are creating, think about what inspired you to make this, and what this piece of art says to you.

Activity 3: Nature Sun Catcher

Time Allotment: 15 minutes

Materials: • Circular frames from cardstock, one for each girl (Optional: embroidery hoops, one for each girl) • Clear contact paper, two pre-cut sheets for each girl • Scissors • Artificial leaves, flower petals from craft store • Packet of seeds, one for each girl Steps: • Girls create a design for a sun catcher using nature-inspired elements. SAY: The outdoors can provide the best inspiration to make something beautiful. You will make a sun catcher to showcase the beauty of nature on your window. Start with a cardstock circle (or hoop), and place a square of contact paper over it. This will provide your sticky surface to create your design. Experiment with color, shape, and design by using flower petals, leaves, and seeds. Play with symmetry and patterns until you are happy with the design. Once it is ready, add another square of contact paper over your frame and then trim the edges so it is a circle.

Activity 4: Lashing Art

Time Allotment: 15 minutes

Materials: • Fallen wood and sticks girls collect outdoors (Note to volunteer: If girls are not near a wooded area, provide wood or sticks from a craft or home repair store.) • Clay • Nylon cord, enough for each pair of girls Steps: • Girls go outdoors to create lashing art. SAY: Lashings are a practical way to join two objects together, especially when you’re on a campout, but you can get creative with them, too! Build an outdoor art piece by lashing sticks or small branches together. Think about lashing together a frame. Or creating a mini sculpture, like a mini boat or chair. Or just making an art piece using the objects. Pair up to collect your wood and start working on your pieces. Use the clay if you need to create spaces between the wood pieces.

Activity 5: Snack Break: Edible Art

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Variety of cut vegetables • Toothpicks Steps • Girls create animals out of veggies SAY: You’re starting to get that art can be found anywhere, including in your food! Use veggies (and toothpicks if

SAY: How does art influence your daily life? What inspires you? Is there a piece of artwork you pass on a regular basis that means something to you? Like a mural, sculpture, painting? How is outdoor art different than something created in a studio? Do you think landscape or nature artists help protect nature? How? What messages do you hope your outdoor art will have, if any?

Activity 6: Gallery Tour

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Recording device or smartphone with a microphone • Index cards • Paper • Pens Steps • Girls display the art they’ve made so far to create a gallery tour. • Ambassadors will tell the behind the scenes story of the art they made. SAY: First set up the art pieces you’ve created today so all your art is displayed as though in an art gallery. (Note to volunteer: This can be done inside a meeting room or outdoors.) Look at the art pieces you created today and think about how would you describe them to someone seeing them for the first time. What do they mean to you? Write down a description of the art, your name, and the date on each index card.

Now create the narration for an audio tour. Make an audio recording of what you want others to know or see when they look at your outdoor art. If girls are struggling with what to say, you can ask prompting questions: What made you decide to create this? How did you do it? What was your creative process? What do you hope others get from it? As we hold our closing ceremony, we’ll listen to your comments about the artwork each of you created.

Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Art Animated

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Recordings from previous activity • Artwork created during the meeting Steps • Ambassadors sit in a circle, and listen to the recordings while looking at the art pieces. SAY: Today you learned how to find inspiration in art using nature. Let’s hear what each of you had to say about your own art piece. Play audio recording while showing each girl’s piece. For the next meeting, ask girls to bring items from home to create a sound wall outdoors: such as: whistle, cymbals, PVC pipes, trash can lids, empty cans, kids’ musical instruments, etc. End the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze.

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers: Outdoor Art Master Requirements: There are two meetings for Ambassadors to earn their Outdoor Art Master badge. Parts of the meetings can be held in a meeting room, but girls will have to go outdoors to places where they can experience nature. Add an Extra Meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the badge requirements.

Make the Most of the Outdoor Journey Use the Talking Points (But Make Them Your Own): In each session, you’ll find suggested talking points under the heading “SAY.” Some volunteers, especially new ones, find it helpful to follow the script. Others use the talking points as a guide and deliver the information in their own words. Either way is just fine. Leave Time for the Closing: If girls are having fun doing an activity, you may be tempted to skip the Closing Ceremony so they can keep going, but the Closing Ceremony is absolutely key to their learning. One of the most important components of any activity is allowing time for the girls to reflect on what they have learned. Research shows that when we use reflection with girls, their learning and enjoyment in activities goes up, so use reflection after activities like a hike or your campout. Ask them about how they felt during the activity. What did they learn? How will they use what they have learned? Did any of the activities ignite a passion that could be used for a Take Action project? Use Girl Scouts’ Three Processes: Girl-led, learning by doing, cooperative learning: These three processes are the key to making sure girls have fun in Girl Scouts and keep coming back. Make sure the meetings are

“girl-led” to help create an experience where girls can make choices and have their voices heard. “Learning by doing” and “cooperative learning” are built into this Journey, thanks to the hands-on activities and tips. Read “Think-Pair-Share” in Meeting Aids: Find out how to make sure all girls are heard when making team decisions. Complete the Surveys: Be sure to complete the surveys in the Volunteer Toolkit about your experiences. Your input is important! The data collected is used to enhance the program.

Prepare Ahead • For Activity 1: As Girls Arrive, make color copies of the satellite images, one for each girl. • For Activity 3: Nature Sound Wall, remind girls to bring items to create a sound wall: whistle, cymbals, paper or foil (for crunching leaves), PVC pipes, trash can lids, empty cans, kids’ musical instruments, etc. • For Activity 5: Color Wheel Break, cut up the following fruit for girls to make a rainbow fruit kabob. o Red = Strawberries o Orange = Cantaloupe o Yellow = Pineapple o Green = Honeydew o Blue = Blueberries o Purple = Red grapes • For Activity 6: Print out Leave No Trace for Older Girls, one for each Ambassador. Get Help from Your Family and Friends Network Your Friends and Family Network can include: • Girls’ parents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, etc. • Other volunteers who have offered to help with the meeting • Local artists • Nature experts or nature photographer Ask your network to help: • Bring supplies for meetings • Bring a camera, smartphone, or video camera to document the meetings and campout • Assist with activities in meetings Award Connection Ambassadors will earn the Outdoor Art Master badge at the end of this meeting.

Note: You can buy the Outdoor Art Master badge, one for each Ambassador, from your council shop or on the Girl Scout website.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Earth As Art • Color printouts of satellite images, one for each girl • Paper • Paint, markers Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Revisiting Art • Flag • Canvas • Brushes • Paints • Charcoal • Pencils • Markers • Black and white canvas from previous meeting Activity 3: Nature Wall of Sound • Large peg wood panel (from a home supply store) • Zip ties • Duct tape or masking tape • Collected items girls can use to create a sound wall: whistle, cymbals, paper or foil (for crunching leaves), PVC pipes, trash can lids, empty cans, kids’ musical instruments, etc. • Wooden spoons

Activity 4: Photo Perspective Hike • Camera or camera phone Activity 5: Snack Break: Color Wheel Break • Skewers for fruit • Cut up fruit • Black and white, color art pieces from Activity 1 Activity 6: Leave No Trace Art for Action • Paper • Pens or markers • Cameras to take photos or video • Nature magazines for collage • Glue • Tape • Scissors • Poster board • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handouts, one for each girl Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Art Exposed • Outdoor Art Master badges, one for each Ambassador

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Earth As Art

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • Color printouts of satellite images, one for each girl • Paper • Paint, markers Steps Welcome Ambassadors and ask them to use the satellite image as inspiration to draw something. They can

SAY: Art is how you see the world. Satellite photos are one way to look at Earth from an entirely different perspective. Take a few minutes and look at your satellite image and try to guess where in the world it might be from. Then, either draw what inspires you from that image on a separate piece of paper, or draw something on the image itself. Add your own perspective and creativity!

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Revisiting Art

Time Allotment 20 minutes

Materials • Flag • Canvas • Brushes • Paints • Charcoal • Pencils • Markers • Black and white canvas from previous meeting Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Ambassadors create a new piece of artwork, inspired by nature. SAY: Photography and video are great ways to create outdoor art without disturbing the environment. The satellite images you worked on are examples of that. Share yours.

SAY: Last meeting you created a piece of black and white art. Take that art outdoors and recreate it on a separate canvas, but this time use colors from nature. Give girls time to take their art outdoors to create a colored canvas.

Activity 3: Nature Wall of Sound

Time Allotment: 20 minutes

Materials: • Large peg wood panel (from a home supply store) • Zip ties • Duct tape or masking tape • Collected items girls can use to create a sound wall: whistle, cymbals, paper or foil (for crunching leaves), PVC pipes, trash can lids, empty cans, kids’ musical instruments, etc. • Wooden spoons Steps: • Girls build a sound wall that can make music. SAY: Art in nature isn’t just about what you see, but can also be about what you hear. There is almost a symphony of sounds coming from nature if you listen closely. Right now, create an outdoor sound wall. If you can, try to use objects to mimic sounds you find in nature. What can you use to make the sound of a cricket chirp? Or a bird song? Or the sound of whistling wind? As a group, combine all the elements you can to make a sound wall that younger girls might enjoy trying. Once you’ve made the sound wall, you can take turns coming up with fun musical compositions.

Activity 4: Photo Perspective Hike

Time Allotment: 15 minutes

Materials: • Camera or camera phone Steps: • Girls take photos of things in nature from different perspectives.

SAY: Normally when you take a photo, you take it straight on. But sometimes, finding a weird angle or different perspective is just enough to make it interesting. For example, when you arrived you looked at different satellite imagery that looked like works of art. By changing the perspective to such an out-of-this-world view, these landscapes become something completely different. Take a hike through nature, and when you see something that inspires you, take turns with the camera to find a unique perspective to capture it. Either take turns using a single camera, or if there are more than one camera or smartphone, you could let them break into pairs or groups.

Activity 5: Snack Break: Color Wheel Break

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Skewers for fruit • Cut up fruit • Black and white, color art pieces from Activity 1 Steps • Girls snack on fruit while discussing colors they incorporated in their art. SAY: On a skewer, create a rainbow kabob by using the fruits for each color. Have girls display their art from Activity 2.

SAY: How is your color version different from your black and white one? What nature colors did you use? How did nature inspire you to do something different? Did you originally think of color when you first made your black and white piece?

Activity 6: Leave No Trace Art for Action

Time Allotment 20 minutes

Materials • Paper • Pens or markers • Cameras to take photos or video • Nature magazines for collage • Glue • Tape • Scissors • Poster board • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handouts, one for each girl Steps Girls choose a medium to design a Leave No Trace art piece to inspire change.

SAY: Documentaries and photographs can be a powerful way to use art as a call to action. Read through the Leave No Trace handouts you have and come up with a piece or art that will inspire people to protect the environment. It can be a painting, poster, video, series of photos, whatever you’re inspired to do! You can take one aspect of the Leave No Trace principles or combine them all into one thought. It’s up to you.

Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Art Exposed

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Outdoor Art Master badges, one for each Ambassador Steps • Ambassadors sit in a circle, receive their badges and brainstorm ways to use the art they created.

SAY: In the two Outdoor Art Master meetings, you’ve created a lot of artwork and materials that could be used to inspire others. You created an art show, a sound wall, and sun catcher, just to name a few. How could you use these things to inspire others to look for art in nature? What are some Take Action ideas to continue the inspiration? What elements of the meeting could you expand upon to create meaningful projects for the community? Give out the Outdoor Art Master badges and end the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze.

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers:

About the Ambassador Outdoor Journey: The Ambassador Outdoor Journey consists of three badges—Outdoor Art Master, Water, and Survival Camper—and three Take Action meetings. To complete the Outdoor Journey, have girls complete the meetings in the following order: • Outdoor Art Master badge (2 meetings) • Water badge (2 meetings) • Survival Camper badge (2 meetings) • Take Action (3 meetings) Water Requirements: There are two meetings for Ambassadors to earn their Water badge. Parts of the meeting can be held in a meeting room, but you will need to get girls outdoors to visit a water source and have a good running water source, such as a sink or hose. Add an Extra Meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the badge requirements.

Prepare to Take Girls Outside: To earn the Water badge, girls must head outside to explore nature. Get support from your council and GSUSA for information about best practices for Girl Scouts in the outdoors: • Check Safety Activity Checkpoints guidelines before planning any camping trip or outdoor activity. • Explore Venture Out! http://gsuniversity.girlscouts.org/resource/venture-out/, an online resource that provides guidance to volunteers less familiar with taking girls outdoors. • Read the book Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting for helpful tips. • Check out the Outdoor Progression Chart here. https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts- gsusa/forms-and-documents/for-adults/volunteer/GSUSA_OutdoorProgression.pdf • Read Explaining Leave No Trace in Meeting Aids: An important part of preparing girls for the outdoors is to help them understand and embrace the seven basic principles of Leave No Trace.

Prepare Ahead • Email girls to bring 5 poems about water, printed out, to the first meeting. Note( to volunteer: Print out some extra poems to bring to the meeting in case girls forget.) • For Activity 3, find a nearby location with water, or if that isn’t possible, set up an indoor fountain with running water sounds. You could also download a noise machine app with water music or sounds to use. • Print Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout from Meeting Aids, one for each Ambassador, for Activity 4: Leave No Trace. • Fill a large container (such as a baby pool or large plastic tub) with water for Activity 5: Paddle Out. • Chill bottles of sparkling and flat water in advance for Activity 6: Snack Break. • Prepare fruits, vegetables, and natural flavorings to add to water for Activity 6: Snack Break, such as: lemons, limes, oranges, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, apples, fresh mint, basil, cinnamon, ginger, watermelon. Check in advance for any food allergies girls might have.

Ask your network to help: • Bring supplies for meetings • Bring a camera, smartphone, or video camera to document the meetings and camp out • Assist with activities in meetings Award Connection Ambassadors will not earn a badge in this meeting. They will earn their Water badge at the end of Meeting 2. Note: You can buy the Water badge, one for each Ambassador, from your council shop or on the Girl Scout website.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Water Words • 5 water poems, each Ambassador brings to the meeting • Highlighters Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Water Works • Flag • Girls’ poems from Activity 1 Activity 3: Write for Water • Paper, enough for each girl (or a journal for girls to write in) • Pens Activity 4: Water Issues • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout, one for each Ambassador

Activity 5: Paddle Out • Big tub or small plastic baby pool, filled with water • Artificial plastic flowers, enough for each girl Activity 6: Water Test • Chilled bottles of sparkling and flat water • Fruits, vegetables, and natural flavorings to add to water (such as: lemons, limes, oranges, cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, apples, fresh mint, basil, cinnamon, ginger, watermelon) • Small paper cups for taste test • Markers • Healthy snack Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Conservation Starts with You • None

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN (Note to volunteers: These meetings work best in the outdoors but can also be adapted for indoors—just remember that they could get wet.)

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Water Words

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • 5 water poems, each Ambassador brings to the meeting • Highlighters Steps Welcome Ambassadors and have them read their poems about water and highlight words or phrases that resonate with them.

SAY: Take a few minutes to read through your poems that focus on water, and highlight words or phrases that hold particular meaning for you.

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Water Works

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Flag • Girls’ poems from Activity 1 Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Ambassadors share what they highlighted in the poems and why it resonated with them. SAY: Water surrounds us, sometimes in such quantities that we forget how precious it is. You’ll be earning your Water badge, which means you will dive in to learn more about water and its properties, how we can protect this precious resource, and how it impacts your lives. When you came in, you all read some poems about water and highlighted different parts that stood out to you. Share some of the phrases or words that you highlighted, and tell us why those words resonated.

Activity 3: Write for Water

Time Allotment: 20 minutes

Materials: • Paper, enough for each girl (or a journal for girls to write in) • Pens Steps: • Girls visit a nearby water source: could be a fountain, stream or water display. (Note to volunteer: If you can’t get girls outside, visit an indoor water fountain or in a meeting room, play water sounds from a noise machine or noise app.) • Girls create a poem or writing piece about water. SAY: Take a minute to listen to the sounds of water.

While girls are outdoors, have them write their own poem or story about water.

SAY: Now that you’ve seen what others have written about water, take time to reflect on your own relationship with water and write your own poem or story. Be sure to incorporate all your senses and your own unique experiences into the poem or story. Some things to think about as you listen to the sounds of the water—is the noise soothing or scary? Does it energize you or calm you? Do you like or dislike the feel of the water? You can also write a short story about the first time you saw the ocean, jumped in a lake, or performed a high dive. Give girls 10 minutes or so to reflect and write. Have them share their work with the group if they want.

Activity 4: Water Issues

Time Allotment: 20 minutes

Materials: • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout, one for each Ambassador Steps: • Have girls talk about water issues and how we need to protect water. • Girls explore how Leave No Trace principles impact water in nature. SAY: Humans have always been dependent on water. We’ve build civilizations around water and created artificial bodies of water, like reservoirs, harbors and waterways. We also face water pollution, waste and natural disaster. What are some natural disasters that have to do with water? (Answers: tsunamis, tidal waves, rogue waves, flash floods) What are some examples of water waste? (Answers: running the faucet while brushing teeth, not collecting rain water, faulty pipes that drip and waste water) Have girls read the Leave No Trace handout. What are some ways you can protect water?

I’ll name the principle and share how it could apply to water. Plan Ahead. (Answer: Plan ahead so you leave nothing behind and protect nature. Water questions to pose: Where is the nearest water source? How would leaving something behind impact water and wildlife that lives in the water?) Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces. (Answer: Camping or traveling on non-durable surfaces can affect runoff and water flows into the nearest water supply.) Dispose of Waste Properly. (Answer: Leaving trash or litter behind can cause human-made dams or pollute waters.) Leave What You Find. (Answer: Leave nature as it is, which for water means that you shouldn’t throw rocks, build bridges to cross, or remove natural dams that could change flows.) Minimize Campfire Impacts. (Answer: Make sure water is nearby to put out your fire) Respect Wildlife. (Answer: Many times you may think of wildlife you can see on land, but this also includes underwater life such as frogs, fish, and turtles.) Be Considerate of Other Visitors. (Answer: Respect other visitors so they can experience nature. As you just experienced, water has a strong effect on people—so don’t take that away from them by being loud or disruptive.) Now break into three teams to come up with some water solutions to these problems. Each team take on one problem and share your solutions with the group. Problem 1: Water waste Possible solutions if girls need prompts: rainwater collection, awareness campaign to preserve water use at home, using water to create energy such as water turbines Problem 2: Polluted drinking water Possible solutions: water filters, water purifiers, work with engineers to improve water systems Problem 3: Climate and Environmental Water Issues Possible solutions: awareness campaign to stop polluting oceans and water sources, campaign for an environmental water policy for your region, work with a climatologist or water resource engineer to find out about weather patterns, water cycles, and future innovations.

Activity 5: Paddle Out

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Big tub or small plastic baby pool, filled with water • Artificial plastic flowers, enough for each girl Steps • Girls perform an adaptation of a surfer “paddle out” ceremony SAY: Water is not only part of us, but also part of our traditions. Across the globe, there are practices and ceremonies that involve water. Can anyone name one? (Possible answers: Baptism, cleansing rituals, some weddings feature water as an element) In Buddhism, water symbolizes purity, clarity and calmness. In Islam, water is a gift from God and shouldn’t be bought or sold. One really cool water tradition is from the surfer community, and is called a “paddle out.” Before a big competition or gathering of surfers, everyone paddles out to the water and creates a circle to pay their respects to someone who deserves their honor. It can be someone deceased or alive, and they throw flowers into the center of the circle and say what they honor about that person. You will perform your own version of a paddle-out ceremony. Take a flower and form a circle around the water. Think about someone that means a lot to you, and why. Go around the circle, and honor that person by throwing a flower into the water and say what you admire or respect about that person without saying their name.

Activity 6: Snack Break: Water Test

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Chilled bottles of sparkling and flat water • Prepared, vegetables, and natural flavorings to add to water (such as: lemons, limes, oranges,

cucumbers, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, apples, fresh mint, basil, cinnamon, ginger, watermelon) • Small paper cups for taste test • Markers Steps Ambassadors team up to make their own brand of flavored water and have a taste test.

SAY: Pair up to come up with a flavored water you both like. You can use the sparkling or flat water, your choice. Choose the ingredients you what you want to add. Pour your creation into a cup and I’ll number it. We’ll do a taste test. Have girls do a water taste test and snack on leftover fruits and vegetables.

SAY: As you performed the paddle out ceremony, what struck you? What moved you about it? How did water play into the ceremony? How would being in the ocean make it any more powerful?

Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Water Planner

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • None Steps • Ambassadors sit in a circle and plan the next meeting. SAY: Today you learned about water and how it can help inspire us and how important it is to our everyday lives. You also worked on some water problems and solutions. In our next meeting, you are going to talk about and learn more about how water is in jeopardy, and possible solutions to securing water for future generations. Before the next meeting, investigate—either in person or online—a local water issue. It might be investigating

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers: Water Requirements: There are two meetings for Ambassadors to earn their Water badge. Parts of the meeting can be held in a meeting room, but you will need to get girls outdoors to visit a water source and have a good running water source, such as a sink or hose. Add an Extra Meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the badge requirements.

Read “Think-Pair-Share” in Meeting Aids: Find out how to make sure all girls are heard when making team decisions. Complete the Surveys: Be sure to complete the surveys in the Volunteer Toolkit about your experiences. Your input is important! The data collected is used to enhance the program.

Prepare Ahead • For Activity 1, divide a whiteboard or poster board vertically with 2 columns labeled “Water Issues” and “Solutions” • For Activity 2, fill a one-gallon jug with water. • Create Water Conservation ideas and tips for Activity 5. Write one tip or idea on each index card. Examples could include: o Shorten your shower by 1–2 minutes and you’ll save 150 gallons of water a month. o Wash fruits and vegetables in a pan of water rather than running water. o Check all visible pipes for leaks. o Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. o Only run your dishwasher when it is completely full. o Use only one cup a day or a reusable water bottle o Collect water you use to wash dishes or food and use it to water plants. o Create a rain barrel to collect water. o Use a kitchen timer when using the sprinkler so you don’t forget to turn it off. o If you drop an ice cube, don’t throw it in the sink—throw it in a plant instead. o Make sure you use the right pot for cooking and don’t use extra water. o Turn off the water while washing your hair to save 150 gallons a month. o Reuse your towels at home and at hotels. • For Activity 6, make Water Footprint Cards. Leave one side of an index card blank except for the name of the snack. On the back, write how many gallons of water it takes to make that food: o FRONT: Apples; BACK: 83 gallons o FRONT: Oranges; BACK: 55 gallons o FRONT: Bananas; BACK 102 gallons o FRONT: Cheese cubes; BACK: 896 gallons

Get Help from Your Family and Friends Network Your Friends and Family Network can include: • Girls’ parents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, etc.

• Other volunteers who have offered to help with the meeting Ask your network to help: • Bring supplies for meetings • Bring a camera, smartphone, or video camera to document the meetings and campout • Help with water activities and cleanup • Assist with activities in meetings Award Connection Ambassadors will earn their Water badge at the end of this meeting. Note: You can buy the Water badge, one for each Ambassador, from your council shop or on the Girl Scout website.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Conservation Roundup • Whiteboard or poster board with 2 columns: one column labeled “Issues” and one side labeled “Solutions” • Markers Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Precious Water • Flag • 1-gallon jug • 1/4 cup measuring cup • 2 clear cups • 1 tablespoon • Eyedropper (or a straw to make a drop) • Water

Activity 3: Flood Management • For each team of girls: o Large sheets of tinfoil o Bucket o Hose or additional bucket of water o Sand or something that could represent sediment o Rocks o A few balls of paper towels

Activity 4: Conservation Game • Sketch paper • Cardboard or poster board • Markers • Construction paper • Scissors • Index cards with conservation facts on them Activity 5: Snack Break: Water Footprint • Apples • Oranges • Bananas • Cheese cubes • Corresponding card for each snack with its water footprint Activity 6: Water Color • Watercolor paint, enough for all girls • Brushes, enough for all girls • Plastic or paper plates, enough for all girls • Watercolor paper, one for each girl • Dipping cups of water, one for each girl • Pencils Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Make a Splash • Water badges, one for each girl

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN (Note to volunteers: You can hold this meeting in a meeting room or outdoors—just remember that the girls and surrounding areas could get wet.)

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Conservation Round-up

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • Whiteboard or poster board with 2 columns: one side labeled “Issues” and one side labeled “Solutions” • Markers Steps Welcome Ambassadors and have them write some of the water issues they identified since the last meeting. Leave solutions blank for now.

SAY: Take a few minutes to write on the whiteboard some of the water issues you identified since the last meeting. You will talk together about solutions in a few minutes.

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Precious Water

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Flag • 1-gallon jug • 1/4 cup measuring cup • 2 clear cups • 1 tablespoon • Eyedropper (or a straw to make a drop) • Water Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Ambassadors learn about the scarcity of water resources through a quick visual activity

• Discuss solutions to their conservation issues SAY: You may have learned that 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered with water. But less than one percent of that is fresh drinking water. Here’s a way to put this into perspective. First, someone volunteer to fill the jug with water. Hold up the jug. This represents all the water on Earth. Next, another volunteer take 1/4 cup of this water and pour it into one of the clear cups. Hold up the cup. This represents Earth’s fresh water. The rest of the water in the jug represents salt water, which we can’t drink. The next volunteer, take 4 tablespoons from the 1/4-cup of water in the clear cup, and pour this into the second clear cup. Hold up the cup. This represents the fresh water that is not frozen in ice caps or glaciers. From the cup with the 4 tablespoons of water, remove one drop with the eyedropper or straw and put it in the third clear cup. This represents the water that is clean, fresh, not polluted and otherwise available to use. Did this experiment change your perspective at all on water? Now that you know why it is so important to protect it, share some of the problems and solutions you investigated since the last meeting. Discuss problems and possible solutions, and write solutions on whiteboard.

Activity 3: Flood Management

Time Allotment: 25 minutes

Materials: • For each team of girls: o Large sheets of tinfoil o Bucket o Hose or additional bucket of water o Sand or something that could represent sediment o Rocks o A few balls of paper towels

Steps: • Girls use foil to create a “river system” • Have girls play out different scenarios using the river: o How dams can affect rivers o How extra sedimentation from lack of rain can cause issues o How litter or garbage could affect the river.

SAY: Since you just discussed water solutions, let’s see if you can recreate a challenge. Have girls break into teams and give each team supplies.

SAY: Create a river using foil to create the riverbed. It should look like a waterslide, with edges curled up to keep the water in. Water should flow easily “downstream.” Use the bucket at the end to catch the water so you aren’t wasting it. Now, using the river, play out some different water scenarios and challenges to see what happens. Using the rocks, impede the flow of the water. Imagine wildlife living near this river basin, as well as people nearby depending on hydroelectricity? Use the whiteboard to add notes about how dams might change the flow, and what that means to both wildlife and people up and down stream. Using the sand, build sediment “beaches” at various places in the river. How does sediment from lack of rain or run-off affect the river, and the wildlife and people that use it? Add balls of paper towels to the river—how does this change things, and what could it mean for the river, people and wildlife?

Activity 4: Conservation Game

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Sketch paper • Cardboard or poster board • Markers

• Construction paper • Scissors • Index cards with conservation facts on them Steps • Girls create a board game to teach water conservation to younger girls or their community (depending on size of group, could break into small groups to produce games or work all together as one large group)

SAY: Water scarcity is already a problem in several parts of the world, and will be a problem here in the United States within your lifetime. Inspire others by creating a fun game to help them get excited about conserving the water that we all depend on. Brainstorm a game and create one using supplies here. You can use the conservation cards as part of your game, or just as background information as you build it. After you’ve finished creating your game, make sure you also write down the rules. Brainstorm where you might be able to put this game into action, whether with younger girls, in a classroom or a community center.

Activity 5: Snack Break: Water Footprint

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Apples • Oranges • Bananas • Cheese cubes • Corresponding card for each snack with its water footprint Steps • Ambassadors enjoy a snack while learning how much water it takes to produce each item. • Place snacks with corresponding card upside down, so girls can’t see the water footprint

SAY: When it comes to food and its water footprint, not everything is created equal. For everything that is produced, it takes a certain amount of water to make that product. For example, to grow 8 ounces of tea takes about 7 gallons of water. And that’s before you add water to the tea leaves to make it drinkable! Look at the four snacks before you, and try and decide which you think takes the least amount of water to produce, or has the smallest water footprint. Feel free to sample the snacks as you look at the answers. What surprised you the most? Why do you think cheese has such a high water footprint? What other foods do you think have a high water footprint? (Answer: Beef and pork use thousands of gallons and by far have the highest footprint.) How could you lower your water footprint through the foods you eat?

Activity 6: Water Color

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Watercolor paint, enough for all girls • Brushes, enough for all girls • Plastic or paper plates, enough for all girls • Watercolor paper, one for each girl • Dipping cups of water, one for each girl • Pencils Steps Girls create a watercolor painting that represents their water experience.

SAY: Use watercolors to create something that embodies your water experience. It can be impressionistic, abstract or realistic. It’s up to you. If you’ve never painted with watercolors before: Lay your watercolor paper in front of you. If you want, draw your design in a light pencil mark.

Put a small dab of any color on the white plate. Lightly dip your brush into your cup of water, shake excess water off brush. Drop a couple of drops of water onto the color on your plate. Mix it up. If the paint it still too thick, add more drops of water. Dip your brush into the color and begin painting. Make sure to let your artwork dry before taking it home.

Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Make A Splash

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • Water badges, one for each girl Steps • Ambassadors sit in a circle and receive their Water badge. SAY: Today you earned your Water badge. How could you be a better advocate for water? Are there other projects you could tackle that address water conservation? How will you use water in the future to inspire you? End the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze.

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers:

About the Ambassador Outdoor Journey: The Ambassador Outdoor Journey consists of three badges—Outdoor Art Master, Water, and Survival Camper—and three Take Action meetings. To complete the Outdoor Journey, have girls complete the meetings in the following order: • Outdoor Art Master badge (2 meetings) • Water badge (2 meetings) • Survival Camper badge (2 meetings) • Take Action (3 meetings) Survival Camper Requirements: There are two meetings for Ambassadors to earn their Survival Camper badge. Meeting 1 can be held in a meeting room or outdoors. Meeting 2 should be held outdoors when girls are on a survival campout trip. Add an Extra Meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the badge requirements.

Prepare to Take Girls Outside: To earn the Survival Camper badge, Ambassadors must plan and complete a survival camping trip. Get support from your council and GSUSA for information about best practices for Girl Scouts in the outdoors: • Check Safety Activity Checkpoints guidelines before planning any camping trip or outdoor activity. • Look for camping videos and more in the “Outdoor Resources” on the GSUSA website http://www.girlscouts.org/en/adults/volunteer/volunteer-resources/outdoor-resources.html. • Explore Venture Out! http://gsuniversity.girlscouts.org/resource/venture-out/, an online resource that provides guidance to volunteers less familiar with taking girls outdoors. • Read the book Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting for helpful tips. • Check out the Outdoor Progression Chart here. https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts- gsusa/forms-and-documents/for-adults/volunteer/GSUSA_OutdoorProgression.pdf • Read Explaining Leave No Trace in Meeting Aids: An important part of preparing girls for the outdoors is to help them understand and embrace the seven basic principles of Leave No Trace. • Go to the Leave No Trace website https://lnt.org/teach/leave-no-trace-every-kid to find teaching resources and fun nature camping activities.

Make the Most of the Outdoor Journey Use the Talking Points (But Make Them Your Own): In each session, you’ll find suggested talking points

© 2017 GSUSA. All right reserved. Not for commercial use. This material is proprietary to GSUSA and may be used, reproduced, distributed exclusively by GSUSA staff, councils, Girl Scout volunteers, service units and/or troops solely in connection with Girl Scouting. Survival Camper 1 under the heading “SAY.” Some volunteers, especially new ones, find it helpful to follow the script. Others use the talking points as a guide and deliver the information in their own words. Either way is just fine. Leave Time for the Closing: If girls are having fun doing an activity, you may be tempted to skip the Closing Ceremony so they can keep going, but the Closing Ceremony is absolutely key to their learning. One of the most important components of any activity is allowing time for the girls to reflect on what they have learned. Research shows that when we use reflection with girls, their learning and enjoyment in activities goes up, so use reflection after activities like a hike or your campout. Ask them about how they felt during the activity. What did they learn? How will they use what they have learned? Did any of the activities ignite a passion that could be used for a Take Action project? Use Girl Scouts’ Three Processes: Girl-led, learning by doing, cooperative learning: these three processes are the key to making sure girls have fun in Girl Scouts and keep coming back. Make sure the meetings are “girl led” to help create an experience where girls can make choices and have their voices heard. “Learning by doing” and “cooperative learning” are built into this Journey, thanks to the hands-on activities and tips. Read “Think-Pair-Share” in Meeting Aids: Find out how to make sure all girls are heard when making team decisions. Complete the Surveys: Be sure to complete the surveys in the Volunteer Toolkit about your experiences. Your input is important! The data collected is used to enhance the program. If You Have a Multi-Level Troop: Read Tips for Working with Multi-Level Groups for Older Girls in Meeting Aids to get hands-on tips for how to deal with younger girl/older girl scenarios. Prepare Ahead • Email girls to research camping locations for a survival camping trip. Ask them to come to the meeting with at least one backcountry or primitive campsite and to answer the following: o Where is it? (How far and how long will it take to get there) o Is there a fee to camp? o Will they need permits? o Is fire building allowed? (Is it allowed to gather downed wood?) o What kind of terrain is it? (Hilly, flat, rocky, sandy, etc.) o What’s the weather in the area? Is the area prone to flash floods or wildfires? o What type of wildlife is in the area? (For example, will you have to watch for nesting animals, snakes, or bears?) o What type of bathroom facility is there? o Is there a water source nearby? • Print Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout from Meeting Aids, one for each Ambassador, for Activity 3: Leave No Trace.

• For Activity 4: Plan Your Camping Adventure: Across the top of a whiteboard or poster board, write: “Camp Questions” and “Camp Plan.” Under “Camp Questions” write: Where will you go? When will you go? How will you get there? What kind of gear will you bring? How will you wash and get water? What will you eat? How will you cook your food? Are any permits needed? How much will the trip cost, and how will your group pay for it? • Bring “edible plant snacks” for Activity 5: Snack Break, such as roasted seaweed, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, and berries. Check in advance for any food allergies girls might have. • For Activity 6: Gear Share and Compare: Send an email out in advance to parents asking that girls make a trip to a gear supply store to find out about camping equipment before your first meeting. Then request Ambassadors bring any camp gear items they might have to the meeting, such as: o Reusable water bottle o Flashlight with extra batteries o Long-sleeved jacket o Poncho or raincoat o Closed-toe shoes o Sun protection: hat with a brim, sunscreen, lip balm, and sunglasses o First-aid kit o Pocket potty: Toilet paper, plastic sealable baggies, trowel) o Any medications you may need (inhaler, EpiPen) o Emergency food (such as trail mix or granola bars) o Whistle o Matches in a waterproof container o Rope o Pocket knife o Bug spray o Sleeping bag and sleeping pad o Dutch oven or cook pots o Camp stove and fuel o Cooler to hold food o Cooking utensils o Extra trash bags o Mess kit (plate, utensils, cup) o Battery-operated or propane lantern o Socks

o Backpack or duffel bag o Compass and map of the area • For Closing Ceremony, create a list of camp kapers on a whiteboard or poster board prior to the meeting.

Get Help from Your Family and Friends Network Your Friends and Family Network can include: • Girls’ parents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, etc. • Other volunteers who have offered to help with the meeting. Ask your network to help: • Bring camping supplies and gear for meetings. • Bring camping equipment and gear for a campout. • Bring a camera, smartphone, or video camera to document the meetings and campout • Assist with camping activities in meetings. • Help plan the menu for camping trip and do the shopping in advance. • Volunteer to go on troop campouts. Award Connection Ambassadors will not earn a badge in this meeting. They will earn their Survival Camper badge at the end of Meeting 2. Note: You can buy the Survival Camper badge, one for each Ambassador, from your council shop or on the Girl Scout website.

Meeting Length 90 minutes • The times given for each activity may be different depending on how many girls are in your troop, so adjust accordingly. • Give Ambassadors 10- and 5-minute warnings before they need to wrap up the last activity so you’ll have time for the Closing Ceremony. • Some activities might require more time, so add an extra meeting if you need to.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Destination Survival • Research girls bring to meeting about camp locations

• Paper • Pens, pencils Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Get it Started • Flag • Girls’ top three places from Activity 1 • Computers or smartphones for girls to do online research to learn more about where they will camp (or travel guides and weather books borrowed from the library) • Whiteboard or poster board, markers Activity 3: Survival Trip Planner • Paper • Pencils • Whiteboard or poster board with “camping questions” and “camping plan” written on top. Under camping questions, write: Where? When? Budget? Permits? Gear?

Activity 4: Leave No Trace • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout, one for each girl Activity 5: Snack Break: Edible Plants and Menu Planning • Edible “plant” snacks, such as: roasted seaweed, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, and berries • Pens and paper for menu planning Activity 6: Gear Share, Compare and Tryout • Basic camping gear Ambassadors bring to meeting • Paper and pens to make packing checklist Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Camp Kapers • Whiteboard or poster board with list of kapers

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Destination Survival

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • Research girls bring to meeting about camp locations • Paper • Pens, pencils Steps Welcome Ambassadors and have them compare notes about camp locations and come up with 3 favorite places the group might go.

SAY: You’ll be going on a survival campout and you’ll decide where, when, and how. You were asked to research a location for this meeting. Share your findings with the group. Once everyone’s shared, as a group, come up with 3 places you might want to go. If you all agree on just one, that’s fine too!

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Get it Started

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Flag • Girls’ top three places from Activity 1 • Computers or smartphones for girls to do online research to learn more about where they will camp (or travel guides and weather books borrowed from the library) • Whiteboard or poster board, markers Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Ambassadors share their own camping experiences and decide where they will camp. SAY: Survival camping does not mean wandering out into the wilderness and getting lost! It means heading out with no pre-made shelter (like a tent) and challenging yourself with limited equipment. Safely, of course! Have you experienced anything similar to a survival camping trip? Did you have any emergencies on your camping trip? How did you handle them?

Have girls share the type of camping trips they’ve been on, if any.

SAY: What are the top three camp destinations you decided on when you arrived? Write down the list on the whiteboard.

SAY: Talk about the pros and cons to each of these camp locations and then make a group decision and choose one. Give Ambassadors a chance to talk about pros and cons for each location. If Ambassadors need help picking a top choice, ask open-ended questions, such as: • Which of these locations sounds like the most fun? • Are any of the locations easier to get to than others? • Think about your budget and the cost for transportation and permits. Is the location affordable? Activity 3: Survival Trip Planner

Time Allotment 20 minutes

Materials • Paper • Pencils • Whiteboard or poster board with “camping questions” and “camping plan” written on top. Under camping questions, write: Where? When? Budget? Permits? Gear?

Steps • Break Ambassadors into teams of three to four each. • Have them discuss and write up a plan for their camping trip using the questions as a guide. • When they finish, gather girls to go over their camping trip goals and make a plan as a group. SAY: Now that you know where to go, share the details about the location you picked: (Note to volunteer: Write these details on a whiteboard.) o Where is it? (How far and how long will it take to get there) o Is there a fee to camp? o Will you need permits?

o Is fire building allowed? o What kind of terrain is it? (Hilly, flat, rocky, sandy, etc.) o What’s the weather in the area for the time you want to go? Is the area prone to flash floods or wildfires? o What type of wildlife is in the area? (For example, will you have to watch for nesting animals, snakes, or bears?) o What type of bathroom facility is there? o Is there a water source nearby? Break up into teams and make a plan for your trip. • What type of activities do you want to do while you campout? (Make sure you check the details in Safety Activity Checkpoints.) • When do you want to go? • What is your budget? What kind of money earning will you need to do? Do you want to use your troop’s Girl Scout Cookie money? When Ambassadors are done, have them gather and fill in the information they gathered on the whiteboard.

SAY: Did you reach an agreement together about when to go, what you’ll do when you’re there, and how you’ll afford the trip? Did you have to vote or did everyone agree on the same things? Encourage girls to speak up about what they like or don’t like about the decisions made so far. Remind girls that they can save camping trip destinations or ideas for another trip in the future.

Activity 4: Leave No Trace

Time Allotment: 10 minutes

Materials: • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout, one for each Ambassador Steps: • Have girls talk about ways they will protect nature while camping in the backcountry. SAY: When you went camping before, what do you remember about Leave No Trace? How did you practice each

Activity 5: Snack Break: Edible Plants and Menu Planning

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Edible “plant” snacks, such as: roasted seaweed, walnuts, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, and berries • Pens and paper for menu planning

Steps Ambassadors eat “edible plant snacks” and plan their survival camping menu.

SAY: No one ever plans on getting lost but part of survival camping is to know what you can live on out in the woods in case you do. Lots of wild plants can give you the nutrients and energy you need, but they can also be harmful. Before your trip, go online or check out a plant guidebook for edible plants so you can identify them on a hike. Start by looking in your backyard for what’s edible, and what’s not. For now, munch on some of these edible, safe things you can find in the wild. While you’re snacking, plan what you’ll eat and drink on your trip by thinking about any food allergies in your group, the weight and bulk of the food, and your budget. You need to also think about food safety and storage. How will you reduce weight and food waste? (Answer: By leaving as much packaging at home as possible. You may want to repackage some foods into sealed plastic bags. If possible, try to group food together by meal and day of trip.) How will you protect food from animals? (Answer: Unless you’re carrying food for a hike, never keep food in your backpack, tent, duffel bags, or elsewhere near your sleeping are. Store food in a designated rodent- proof area or hang food in trees. Check your kitchen at home before shopping for the supplies you need. Have girls come up with simple meals for breakfast-lunch-dinner and snacks and a shopping list for the number of days they need.

Activity 6: Gear Share, Compare and Tryout

Time Allotment 30 minutes

Materials • Basic camping gear Ambassadors bring to meeting • Paper and pens to make packing checklist Steps • Ambassadors plan the type of gear they will need, try it out, and create a gear checklist.

SAY: Even if you’re an experienced camper, survival camping comes with its own unique challenges and requires extra-special attention to your supplies. First, compare and share the gear you brought with the group. See what’s missing and what can be shared. (Girls may decide they only need one stove, one set of cooking pots/utensils, one first-aid kit, one cooler, etc.) What kid of challenges do you want to try on your trip? Like starting a fire with a jackknife, steel and flint, and a mirror? Or using knots to lash a shelter? Make sure to bring necessary gear, along with backup materials for safety. Also make sure to add to your list any extra gear you might need for side hikes or activities in your camping area. When you’re ready, pack your backpack with the gear you’ve decided to bring and practice carrying it. Make sure you’re in shape to walk some distance with your gear. Before your trip, practice carrying your backpack with its full load for 15 minutes a day and build up to an hour. When you do, wear the same clothing, like rain gear, long pants, wool socks and the shoes that you’ll bring on your trip. Don’t forget to break in new hiking shoes, especially if they’re new! Have girls pack a backpack and do a 10-minute hike outdoors with their full load.

Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Camp Kapers

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • Whiteboard or large poster board with list of camp kapers Steps • Ambassadors sit in a circle and volunteer for kapers. SAY: Here are some of the things you can help doing at the campsite. Write your name next to the things you want to do. You can volunteer for more than one thing! • Make snacks. • Prepare meals.

• Clean up cooking area. • Fire builder. • Fire extinguisher. • Set table for meals. • Clean up after meals. • Fill pots for dishwashing. • Clean and dry dishes. • Help set up sleeping bags or tents. • Help take down sleeping bags or tents. • Pack up kitchen area before you leave. • Clean up campsite area before you leave. • Set up washing area with water and buckets. Now that you’ve planned your survival camping trip, what is one thing you are most looking forward to? End the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze.

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers: Survival Camper Requirements: There are two meetings for Ambassadors to earn their Survival Camper badge. Meeting 1 can be held in a meeting room or outdoors. Meeting 2 should be held outdoors when girls are on a survival campout trip. Add an Extra Meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the badge requirements.

Prepare to Take Girls Outside: To earn the Survival Camper badge, Ambassadors must plan and complete a survival camping trip. Get support from your council and GSUSA for information about best practices for Girl Scouts in the outdoors: • Check Safety Activity Checkpoints guidelines before planning any camping trip or outdoor activity. • Look for camping videos and more in the “Outdoor Resources” on the GSUSA website http://www.girlscouts.org/en/adults/volunteer/volunteer-resources/outdoor-resources.html. • Explore Venture Out! http://gsuniversity.girlscouts.org/resource/venture-out/, an online resource that provides guidance to volunteers less familiar with taking girls outdoors. • Read the book Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting for helpful tips. • Read Girl Scout Readiness in Camping in Meeting Aids to get progressive camping tips for first-time campers to girls who are more experienced campers. • Check out the Outdoor Progression Chart here. https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts- gsusa/forms-and-documents/for-adults/volunteer/GSUSA_OutdoorProgression.pdf • Read Explaining Leave No Trace in Meeting Aids: An important part of preparing girls for the outdoors is to help them understand and embrace the seven basic principles of Leave No Trace. • Go to the Leave No Trace website https://lnt.org/teach/leave-no-trace-every-kid to find teaching resources and fun nature camping activities.

© 2017 GSUSA. All right reserved. Not for commercial use. This material is proprietary to GSUSA and may be used, reproduced, distributed exclusively by GSUSA staff, councils, Girl Scout volunteers, service units and/or troops solely in connection with Girl Scouting. Survival Camper 2 the activity. What did they learn? How will they use what they have learned? Did any of the activities ignite a passion that could be used for a Take Action project? Use Girl Scouts’ Three Processes: Girl-led, learning by doing, cooperative learning: these three processes are the key to making sure girls have fun in Girl Scouts and keep coming back. Make sure the meetings are “girl led” to help create an experience where girls can make choices and have their voices heard. “Learning by doing” and “cooperative learning” are built into this Journey, thanks to the hands-on activities and tips. Read “Think-Pair-Share” in Meeting Aids: Find out how to make sure all girls are heard when making team decisions. Complete the Surveys: Be sure to complete the surveys in the Volunteer Toolkit about your experiences. Your input is important! The data collected is used to enhance the program. If You Have a Multi-Level Troop: Read Tips for Working with Multi-Level Groups for Older Girls in Meeting Aids to get hands-on tips for how to deal with younger girl/older girl scenarios. Prepare Ahead • Print Campsite Checklist from Meeting Aids, handouts, one for each Ambassador, for Activity 1: As Girls Arrive. • Prepare camp kapers on a poster board for Activity 2: Opening Ceremony. Insert girls’ names with kapers they volunteered for in Meeting 1. • Print Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout from Meeting Aids, one for each Ambassador, for Activity 2: Opening Ceremony. • For Activity 4: Find a topographical map of the area and print it out, one for each pair of girls. • For Activity 5: Make a Box Oven, find simple instructions online for how to make a box oven and print out copies enough for each team of 3-4 girls. • For Activity 5: Make a Box Oven: have supplies listed in instructions you found online ready for each team of 3-4 girls. • For Activity 6: Find out what type of cooking is allowed at the campsite. Ambassadors are required to try three different cooking methods. If allowed, make sure to have a solar cooker, portable stove, box oven (that girls make in Activity 5), campfire, or any other methods available. • Email girls to bring something to make a record of their trip. It can be a private journal they write in, a camera to create a photo or video diary, or a sketchbook to draw, or all of these. • Purchase Survival Camper badges, one for each Ambassador. Get Help from Your Family and Friends Network Your Friends and Family Network can include: • Girls’ parents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, etc. • Other volunteers who have offered to help with the meeting.

Ask your network to help: • Bring camping supplies and gear for meetings. • Bring camping equipment and gear for a camp out. • Bring a camera, smartphone, or video camera to document the meetings and camp out • Assist with camping activities in meetings. • Help plan the menu for camping trip and do the shopping in advance. • Volunteer to go on troop campouts. Award Connection Ambassadors earn their Survival Camper badge in this meeting. Note: You can buy the Survival Camper badge, one for each Ambassador, from your council shop or on the Girl Scout website.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Campsite Checklist • Campsite Checklist, one for each Ambassador • Pens, pencils Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Camp Set-Up • Flag • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout, one for each Ambassador • Camp kaper chart with kapers for each Ambassador Activity 3: Advanced Knot Tying • Ropes for knot tying, enough for each girl

Activity 4: Landmarks and Trail Signs Hike • Topographical map of the area • Compass • Cell phone Activity 5: Make a Box Oven • Printout “How to make a box oven” directions from online, one for each team of 3-4 girls Activity 6: 3 Ways to Stew • Portable stove, solar cooker, box oven, campfire (Note to volunteer: Find out what’s allowed at campsite) • Ingredients for stew • Cooking supplies Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Survival Camper Badge Award • Survival Camper badge, one for each Ambassador

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN (Note to volunteers: This meeting is designed to be held while girls are camping out.)

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Campsite Checklist

Time Allotment 5 minutes

Materials • Campsite Checklist handout, one for each Ambassador • Pens, pencils SAY: When you arrived, you set up the campsite. Fill out the campsite checklist to see how you did. Give Ambassadors a Campsite Checklist handout.

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Camp Set-Up

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Flag • Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout, one for each Ambassador • Camp kaper chart with kapers for each girl Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Go over camp safety, campsite checklist and kaper chart. • Remind girls about Leave No Trace principles. SAY: When you arrived at camp, you set it up. Go over the checklist to see how you did. Is the area for your campsite flat and dry? Were the sticks and stones cleared away? Do you have separate areas for sleeping, cooking, dishwashing, and food storage? For your cooking area: Can animals get at your food? Are your coolers and any food items with a smell stashed in animal-proof containers? Are there two trees nearby where you can tie a rope between them to hang things? What are the three buckets or deep pans used for in the dishwashing area? (Answer: The first is for hot, soap water. The second holds water for rinsing. The third is either boiling water or cool water with a health department-approved sanitizing solution.) How do you sanitize dishes? (Answer: By placing them in a net bag and immersing them in boiling water for at least one minute, or by following directions for the sanitizing solution. Hang the net bags to air dry.) What do you do with dirty dishwater? (Answer: It should be filtered to remove food particles once the water has cooled. Follow the campsite’s rules for disposal of wastewater. Or practice Leave No Trace’s methods of scattering strained dishwater instead of pouring it into the ground.) For your sleeping area: Are the tents spread out so there isn’t too much traffic in one area?

Are the openings to your tents facing each other? (Suggest that girls arrange tents in a circle so all openings face each other.) For your fire building area: Are you using a fire ring that is already at the campsite? What kind of sticks are you using to build your fire? (Remind girls that the wood they draw must be dead, fallen wood from the ground, not off live trees or plants.) Are there any trees or plants near your fire ring? What size fire will you make? (Remind girls that smaller fires are better for the environment.) How will you extinguish your fire? (Remind girls they will need a shovel and bucket of water nearby.) Have girls discuss solutions for anything that needs changing.

SAY: When you leave a campsite, what do you do with your trash? (Answer: Take it out with you or dispose of it in approved trash bins on the campgrounds.) When you leave a campsite, what should it look like? (Answer: As good as or better than you found it.) Give Ambassadors a Leave No Trace for Older Girls handout.

SAY: Have any of you practiced Leave No Trace since you arrived at camp? Explain how. Have girls share any Leave No Trace principles they practiced or plan to practice.

SAY: Your own safety is equally important. What’s the buddy system? (Answer: You’re paired with another girl so you can keep watch over each other.) Protect yourself from weather. (Answer: Wear sunscreen and/or a hat when it’s sunny and hot, and a raincoat or jacket when it’s cold or rainy.) Be careful around a campfire. (Answer: Wear closed-toe shoes. Don’t walk over a fire. When you are tending a fire, make sure to tie your hair back or wear a bandana on your head.) Protect your food from wildlife. (Answer: Store food away from tents and out of reach of animals. If necessary, hang food from a rope stretched between two trees and make sure all food is packed in closed containers.) Show girls the kaper chart and go over what each girl has volunteered to do.

Activity 3: Advanced Knot Tying

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Ropes for knot tying, enough for each pair of girls Steps • Girls practice knots they know and add new ones to the mix. SAY: You might use knots to secure your tent anchors, put up a dunk line, or tie ropes together for a clothesline. Pair up and go around camp to practice using knots you know around the campsite. Like a square knot to tie a bundle of wood or a clove hitch knot to tie ropes together, and a bowline for a dunk line. Then add some new ones like a snake lashing or half hitch. (Note to volunteer: If girls have time, have them create a lashed shelter.)

Activity 4: Wilderness Survival Hike

Time Allotment 30 minutes*

Materials • Topographical map of the area • Compass • Cell phone (optional, if there is cell service) Steps Girls pair up with an experienced adult to take a hike using only landmarks, but they have a topographical map, compass and cell phone as back up. (*Note to volunteers: This activity will likely need more than the 30 minutes allotted.)

SAY: One of the trickiest and most useful wilderness survival skills is finding your way without a compass or map. It could make the difference between being lost in the woods and finding your way back safely. It’s an advanced skill but you can practice with an experienced adult hiker.

You don’t want to get lost though, so make sure to bring your topographical map, compass, and cell phone for back up. Remember never to assume you will have cell service. Pair an experienced adult hiker with a team of girls. Make sure to give them a time limit for when they need to be back before they set off.

Activity 5: Make a Box Oven

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Printout “How to make a box oven” directions from online, one for each team of 3-4 girls • Materials from online instructions, enough for each team of 3-4 girls Steps Girls make a box oven to use as one cooking method for Activity 6. (Note to volunteer: Make sure box oven cooking is allowed in the area girls are camping.)

SAY: A box oven is a fun and effective way to cook your meals. Get into teams and each team will build one. Have girls gather into groups, get their materials and instructions, and begin constructing their box oven,

Activity 6: 3 Ways to Stew

Time Allotment 15 minutes*

Materials • Portable stove, box oven, campfire (Note to volunteer: Find out what’s allowed at campsite) • Ingredients for stew • Cooking supplies Steps Ambassadors break into three teams to prepare a stew and cook it using three different methods. (*Note to volunteers: You will need more time for girls to prepare and make a stew so add more time to the meeting or do this activity for the lunch or dinner camp meal.)

SAY: You will make stew using three different cooking methods. Have girls break up into three teams: one group prepares (cuts vegetables and meat), one cooks, one cleans up. (Note to volunteers: If allowed at the campsite, have an experienced adult demonstrate how to start a campfire with a jackknife, steel and flint, and a mirror. Then have girls practice the method.)

Activity 7: Closing Ceremony: Survival Camper Badge Award

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Survival Camper badge, one for each girl • Journals, photos or memories girls have created of their trip Steps Ambassadors get their Survival Camper badges and share how they’ve been recording their trip.

SAY: Before this meeting you were asked to find a way to record this trip. How are each of you recording this time? If you want, please share a highlight from what you’ve recorded. If they want, have girls share one thing from their journal, cameras, or sketchbooks. What has been the memorable part about your survival camping trip? How were you most challenged on your trip? What would you do differently next time? What did you learn about yourself through planning and taking a survival camping trip? Give each Ambassador a Survival Camper badge. End the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze.

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers:

Ambassador Take Action Requirements The Ambassador Outdoor Journey consists of three badges—Outdoor Art Master, Water, and Survival Camper—and three Take Action meetings. To complete the Outdoor Journey, have girls complete the meetings in the following order: • Outdoor Art Master badge (2 meetings) • Water badge (2 meetings) • Survival Camper badge (2 meetings) • Take Action (3 meetings) Girls must complete a Take Action project at the end of the Ambassador Outdoor Journey.

Get Help for Take Action There are three Take Action meetings: one for planning, one for creating and carrying out a project, and one for awards and celebration. Look for this helpful Take Action Guide in the Meeting Aids resources section: • Girl Scout Volunteer Take Action Guide: Find out the difference between community service and a Take Action project, steps for a Take Action project, how to make a project sustainable, and ways girls can Take Action.

Make the Most of the Take Action Meetings Use the talking points (but make them your own): In each session, you’ll find suggested talking points under the heading “SAY.” Some volunteers, especially new ones, find it helpful to follow the script. Others use the talking points as a guide and deliver the information in their own words. Either way is just fine. Add an extra meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the Take Action project. Use Girl Scouts’ three processes: Girl-led, learning by doing, cooperative learning—these three processes are the key to making sure girls have fun in Girl Scouts and keep coming back. “Learning by doing” and “cooperative learning” are built into this Journey, thanks to the hands-on activities and tips. You’ll also find “keep it girl-led” tips in the meeting plans. They’ll help you create an experience where girls know they can make choices and have their voices heard. Read “Think-Pair-Share” in Meeting Aids: Find out how to make sure all girls are heard when making team decisions. Leave time for the Closing Ceremony: If girls are having fun doing an activity, you may be tempted to skip the Closing Ceremony so they can keep going—but the Closing Ceremony is absolutely key to their learning,

If You Have a Multi-Level Troop Be prepared: To help run a successful Outdoor Journey Multi-level meeting, read this useful information in the Meeting Aids resources section: • Benefits of a Multi-Level Troop: Find out about why a Multi-level troop can be a great experience. • Tips for Working with Girls at Different Levels: Get hands-on tips for how to deal with younger girl/ older girl scenarios.

Prepare Ahead • Gather supplies. • If your meeting location doesn’t have a flag, bring a small one from home to either hang or have the girls take turns holding. • For Activity 1: As Girls Arrive, print out Take Action Solutions handout, one for each girl. Have enough extra copies for each team of girls to use as a worksheet for Activity 2: Opening Ceremony. • For Activity 2: Opening Ceremony, print out Leave No Trace for Older Girls in Meeting Aids, one for each girl. • For Activity 2: Opening Ceremony, print out 7 Steps to Take Action in Meeting Aids, one for each girl. • For Activity 2: Opening Ceremony, on a poster board or whiteboard, write Take Action project ideas that girls suggested and you collected throughout badge meetings.

Award Connection In the final Take Action meeting, Ambassadors will earn their Take Action award. • From your council shop or the Girl Scout website, buy the Take Action awards, one for each Ambassador.

Meeting Length 90 minutes • The times given for each activity may be different depending on how many girls are in your troop, so adjust accordingly. • Give girls 10- and 5-minute warnings before they need to wrap up the last activity so you’ll have time for the Closing Ceremony. • There is no snack time activity in these meetings, but there’s enough extra time built in for snack breaks if girls want them.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Take Action Issue • Take Action Solutions handout, one for each girl • Pens, pencils Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Brainstorming Take Action • Flag • 7 Steps to Take Action in Meeting Aids, one for each girl • Girls’ Take Action Solutions handout from Activity 1 • Leave No Trace handout, one for each girl • Whiteboard or poster board with Take Action ideas collected by volunteer throughout the Outdoor Journey • Take Action Solutions worksheets (not filled in), one for each team of Ambassadors • Markers • Pens, pencils Activity 3: Deciding on a Take Action Project • Sticky notes • Pens/pencils • Printed handout of the list of Take Action project ideas you’ve collected throughout meetings, one for each team of Cadettes

Activity 4: Closing Ceremony: Get Ready to Take Action! • None

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Take Action Issue

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Take Action Solutions handout, one for each girl • Pens, pencils Steps Ambassadors think about earning their Outdoor badges and what it means to protect the environment. Then they write down a Take Action project issue.

SAY Today you will start planning your Take Action project! But before you do, think about what you did to protect the environment when you earned your Outdoor Art Master, Water, and Survival Camper badges. On your handout, write a Take Action project issue. Feel free to write more than one idea in the space. You don’t have to come up with solutions, yet! You can do that as a team.

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Brainstorming Take Action

Time Allotment 20 minutes

Materials • Flag • 7 Steps to Take Action in Meeting Aids, one for each girl • Girls’ Take Action Solutions handout from Activity 1 • Leave No Trace handout, one for each girl • Take Action whiteboard or poster board with list of Take Action ideas collected by volunteer throughout the Outdoor Journey • Take Action Solutions worksheets (not filled in), one for each team of Ambassadors

• Markers • Pens, pencils Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Have girls share their Take Action project issues. • Have girls review Leave No Trace principles to inspire Take Action ideas. • Have girls work in teams to come up with solutions to their Take Action project issues. SAY: In this meeting, you will brainstorm a Take Action project. Ask girls to take turns reading aloud the 7 Steps to Take Action handout. Invite girls to discuss or ask questions about anything they’ve read. Here’s how you bring a Take Action project to life: You identify an issue or problem you want to help or make a difference. You brainstorm a solution. You assess your resources. You create a realistic plan, including a timeline. You spread the word and get help. Today we’ll be taking steps 1–4. Next meeting you’ll plan and carry out your Take Action project. Before we start, let’s go around and share the Take Action project issues you came up with when you arrived. Add the ideas to the Take Action board. Ask girls to read their Leave No Trace handout.

SAY: When you did the Adventurer and Adventure Camper badges, you learned about Leave No Trace and protecting the environment. Do you remember how you practiced the principles when camping? Did any of those experiences give you ideas for a Take Action project? Add the ideas to the Take Action board.

SAY: You have a lot of ideas on this board. Pick the ones you are most passionate about.

Have girls vote on top 3–5 ideas, depending on how large your troop is. Break girls into teams for each of the top ideas. Have each team work on a Take Action Solutions worksheet (not filled in). Ask them to put their “Take Action Project Issue” in the center bubble. Give each team these prompts to help guide them toward solutions: What’s the problem? Why did it happen? Who does it affect? How can you help? Here’s the place to list as many solutions as you can. Which solution do you think will help the most? Which one will you focus on? Note to volunteers: Remind girls to come up with solutions for their Take Action project that will last over time. Here are three ways they can do that: Create something permanent. For example: • Create a ropes course at camp Educate and inspire others to help create change. For example: • Make a Leave No Trace video about why it’s important to protect public lands Change a rule or law. For example: • Petition city council to make a trail “accessible for all” Activity 3: Deciding on a Take Action Project

Time Allotment 35 minutes

Materials • Poster board/whiteboard • Markers Steps Ambassadors decide on a Take Action project.

SAY: Now you will decide on a Take Action project. First share the solutions your team came up with for the top Take Action ideas.

Post the top ideas and solutions on a poster board/whiteboard.

SAY: Now you’ll decide as a group what Take Action project you want to do. Give girls a chance to talk about the ideas they like (or don’t like). If girls disagree, help them build their conflict-resolution skills. Remind them to speak with respect, listen to other people, and perhaps even develop a new idea together that everyone likes. Instead of stepping in and making the decision for them, help them talk about the pros and cons of each project. To help Ambassadors zero in on their top choices, ask open-ended questions, such as: • Which of these project ideas sounds like the most fun? • Which projects would help you learn something new? • Which ones will make you feel proud when you’re done? To help Ambassadors think about which projects are realistic, ask open-ended questions, such as: • Are there any ideas that might be hard to do right now? • It will probably cost a lot of money to do X. As a troop, we have $X to spend. What do you think we should do? We could put it on a list to do later or we could come up with another idea that doesn’t cost so much. What do you think? If girls are divided between a few ideas, ask them to choose one top idea and keep the others as backups. You can also have girls vote, just make sure that anyone whose idea wasn’t chosen knows that it was a good idea and that it might be used later. Ambassadors may reach an agreement quickly. If they don’t, note the top 2 or 3 ideas and facilitate an agreement using “fist to five”: • If you’re holding up 5 fingers, you love it! • 4 fingers: it’s good. • 3 fingers: you’re OK with the idea. • 2 fingers: you’re OK with it but perhaps want to make a little change. • 1 finger: you’d like to talk about making more changes. • And a closed fist, no fingers: you really don’t like it! After they make a decision, have girls do a group cheer.

SAY: Now that you’ve decided on your project, you’ll brainstorm ideas about how you want to do your Take Action project. Offer things for girls to think about, depending on what Ambassadors want to do. For example:

If girls want to make a video, how will they film it? o What do they want to say? o Do they want to wear costumes? o Do they want to use music? o How will they show it to people: at a school assembly, at a gathering of their families, by having an adult post it (safely) online?

If girls want to create posters for their school, what materials will they need? o Who can they ask for permission to put the posters on the walls? o How should they ask for permission? If they want to make a presentation to the principal, what should they say? o Once they get permission, what should the posters say? o What will they look like? When do they want to hang up the posters? o Do they want to get other students to join them? The ideas are endless! Keep it girl-led by giving just one or two examples and then see where the girls take it. Remind girls that good teamwork is important. Encourage girls to take turns; make sure each girl has a role.

SAY: Is there anything you need to make in order to carry out your project? Is there someone you need to ask for help? How could you do that? What would you say? (Note to volunteers: You may need to pave the way for girls to Take Action by calling school or town officials to get permission for what the girls want to do. Or set up a time for them to meet the officials to make their Take Action proposal. If possible, guide the conversation so Ambassadors come up with ideas about how you can help them so they have the experience of connecting with others to Take Action.) Offer positive feedback and specific examples of what you observed, such as girls listening to each other, cooperation, and compromising. Keep a list of the “to do” items girls are suggesting, for example: materials they need, people they need to talk to, etc.

Activity 4: Closing Ceremony: Get Ready to Take Action!

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • On a poster board or whiteboard, write: My Take Action Project Is______. Then create columns for the following: What I Need: o People: People: Who can help with your project? o Supplies: Will you need to create posters? Print handouts? o A space: Will you need a place to do your project? Do you need transportation to get somewhere? o Money: Do you need to put together a budget? Will you use cookie earnings to support this project? o What else?

Steps Have Ambassadors prepare for their Take Action project by making a “to do” list. Then have girls form a Friendship Circle.

SAY: You made a team decision about your Take Action project. Write the Take Action project on the poster board/whiteboard.

SAY: The next step will be to create and carry out the project in your next meeting. Have girls fill in the “to dos” on the poster board/whiteboard.

SAY: People: Who can help with your project? Supplies: Will you need to create posters? Print handouts? A space: Will you need a place to do your project? Do you need transportation to get somewhere? Money: Do you need to put together a budget? Will you use cookie earnings to support this project? What else? (Note to volunteer: Remind girls about any materials they might need, a reminder for girls to bring props if they’re performing a skit, names of people girls need to talk to, etc.)

SAY: Be sure to share your Take Action project idea with your friends and family and ask for their help and support. Remember, Ambassadors can change the world! End the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze.

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers:

Prepare Ahead • Gather supplies for the Take Action project. For example, girls may need: o A smartphone or camera if girls are creating a video o Poster board if they’re making signs o A laptop if girls are making PowerPoint slides for a presentation to the school principal, park superintendent or city council o Material for costumes if they’re putting on a skit o Paper and markers to create list of after-project partners • If you need more adult helpers, let them know the time and place of the meeting and brief them on what the girls are doing. • Make columns on poster paper or a whiteboard with a variety of topic headers: Equipment, Who will help, Permits/passes, Timeline, etc. • Talk to people who are needed to help girls to complete their Take Action project. For example: o If the girls have decided to make posters about saving water for their school or local library, call the school/library office to set up a time when the girls can make their proposal in person. o If they want to put on a skit at the community center, talk to an administrator about how to arrange that. o If they want to make a presentation to the city council or with a park superintendent, call the office to find out how to schedule that. • If your meeting location doesn’t have a flag, bring a small one from home to either hang or have the

girls take turns holding.

Get Help from Your Family and Friends Network Your Friends and Family Network can include: • Girls’ parents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, cousins, and friends. • Other volunteers who have offered to help with the meeting. Ask your network to help: • Bring supplies. • Bring a camera, smartphone, or video camera to document the meetings. • Assist with helping girls come up with and create their Take Action project. Award Connection In the final Take Action meeting, Ambassadors will earn their Take Action award. • From your council shop or the Girl Scout website, buy the Take Action awards, one for each Ambassador.

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Plan! • Poster paper • Colored markers • Pens and pencils Activity 2 Opening Ceremony: Why Is Our Project Important? • Flag

• Paper • Colored markers Activity 3: Taking Action! • Paper • Pens or colored markers Activity 4: Closing Ceremony: How Will Our Project Last? • Paper • Markers Awards Girls do not receive any awards in this meeting.

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Plan!

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Poster paper or whiteboard with topic columns from “Prepare Ahead” • Colored markers • Pens and pencils Steps Have girls post their ideas about what will need to be done to complete their Take Action project.

SAY: You came up with a Take Action project in your last meeting. Now, as a group, write down the things you will need to create your project on this whiteboard/poster board.

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Why Is Our Project Important?

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Flag Steps • Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise and Law. • Have Ambassadors talk about why they think their Take Action project is important to the community. SAY: You’ve learned to about how to make a difference in the world—to spot problems, work as a team, and come up with solutions. Now you’re going to help others by taking action—and we know that you will make a difference! In our last meeting, you came up with a plan for your Take Action project. Finish this sentence: We’re about to team up and Take Action to______. Ask each girl to share with the group the focus of their Take Action project.

Activity 3: Taking Action!

Time Allotment 45 minutes

Materials • Any materials Ambassadors need to create and carry out their Take Action project. Steps Girls work together to build their Take Action project. Using the information on the poster board, have girls create all the components of their project. If need be, girls can break into teams to do different things.

SAY: Check your master list of what you need to do to create your project. If you need to break into teams to do certain things, that’s OK. Help girls create what they need (posters, videos, presentations, costumes, materials, and scripts). If girls have a “next step” in their project, remind them about it. For example, they may have decided to start a community garden. What will they need to build the garden? Can they get donations of plants, soil, fertilizers? Who can help them with the work ahead? Permits needed? If you’ve done some “behind the scenes” work since the last meeting, such as setting up a meeting for girls with officials or securing permission for their project, let them know about it now.

Congratulate the girls if they’ve completed their Take Action project in this meeting (if, for example, they’ve created a video that an adult will now share with friends and family or post safely online).

Activity 4: Closing Ceremony: How Will Our Project Last?

Time Allotment 10 minutes Materials • Paper • markers Steps Have Ambassadors come up with ideas about how to make their project sustainable and plan their Take Action celebration.

SAY: How do you think you can keep this project going even when you’re not around? That’s called making it sustainable. To create sustainable change, you want to make your solution permanent, educate and inspire others to be part of a change, or change a rule, regulation or law. Here’s an example: You want to help people conserve water by collecting rainwater to water plants. You can make it permanent this way: o Make rain collection devices for family or friends that can be installed in their yards. o Give them a list of different ways to use rainwater, and explain how they’re helping the Earth. You can educate and inspire others this way: o Create a handout, video tutorial, or show-and-tell presentation about how to make a rain collection device, how to use rainwater, and how that helps the Earth. How can you keep your Take Action project sustainable? Offer prompts for girls based on the Take Action project idea, such as: o Will school or park staff be willing to care for the garden? o Could you ask an older girl troop to help out? o Should we make a presentation to the community to ask for their help?

Make a list of the possibilities and decide on several approaches for action. Now you can plan your celebration! Offer prompts for girls to come up with their own ideas for the celebration: o Do you want to make a special display of our Take Action photos or show our videos? o Do you want special music? Special snacks? o Is there anyone you want to thank? o What do you want to do for the Closing Ceremony? Write down their ideas and tell them you’ll help organize this for the next meeting.

SAY: Let’s end the meeting with a high-five for Take Action. For the next three things I’m about to say, high-five the girl next to you. Every Girl Scout, from Daisy to Ambassador, does Take Action projects. (Girls high five.) It doesn’t matter how big or small your project is, it makes a difference in the world. (Girls high five.) You’re a leader because you work as a team to make the world a better place. (Girls high five.) End the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze.

OVERVIEW

Notes to Volunteers:

Make the Most of the Take Action Meetings Use the talking points (but make them your own): In each session, you’ll find suggested talking points under the heading “SAY.” Some volunteers, especially new ones, find it helpful to follow the script. Others use the talking points as a guide and deliver the information in their own words. Either way is just fine. Add an extra meeting: The meetings are each designed for 90 minutes. It’s perfectly OK to add a meeting to your Outdoor Journey plan if you feel girls need more time completing the Take Action project. Use Girl Scouts’ three processes: Girl-led, learning by doing, cooperative learning—these three processes are the key to making sure girls have fun in Girl Scouts and keep coming back. “Learning by doing” and “cooperative learning” are built into this Journey, thanks to the hands-on activities and tips. You’ll also find “keep it girl-led” tips in the meeting plans. They’ll help you create an experience where girls know they can make choices and have their voices heard. Read “Think-Pair-Share” in Meeting Aids: Find out how to make sure all girls are heard when making team decisions. Complete the surveys: Be sure to complete the surveys in the Volunteer Toolkit about your experiences. Your input is important! The data collected is used to enhance the program.

Prepare Ahead • Bring decorations and snacks. • Bring a music system. • Collect all the materials girls created from the Journey, photos of their Take Action projects, and photos and videos you’ve taken along the way. • Invite any special guests (such as people in the community who helped the girls with their Take Action project). • Send reminders to the girls’ families. • From your council shop or the Girl Scout website, buy the Take Action award, one for each girl. • If your meeting location doesn’t have a flag, bring a small one from home to either hang or have the girls take turns holding.

Meeting Length 90 minutes

MATERIALS LIST

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Get Ready to Celebrate! • Posters of the Girl Scout Promise and Law • Any items girls want to display (such as photos or videos from their Take Action project and camping trip) • Photos and videos from the Journey meetings • Music system • Decorations • Snacks Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Welcome! • Flag Activity 3: Take Action Awards Ceremony and Celebration • Take Action award Note: You can buy the Take Action award from your council shop or on the Girl Scout website.

Activity 4: Closing the Take Action Circle • None

DETAILED ACTIVITY PLAN

Activity 1: As Girls Arrive: Get Ready to Celebrate!

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • Posters of the Girl Scout Promise and Law • Any items girls want to display (such as photos or videos from their Take Action project and camping trips) • Music system • Decorations • Snacks

Steps Have Ambassadors set up the meeting room by putting up posters and decorations. Make sure they greet guests as they walk in and offer them a snack. When guests have all arrived, have girls give a warm welcome to their guests.

Activity 2: Opening Ceremony: Welcome!

Time Allotment 15 minutes

Materials • Flag Steps Have girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance, Girl Scout Promise and Law, then have ask them to introduce any special guests.

Activity 3: Take Action Award Ceremony and Celebration

Time Allotment 55 minutes

Materials • Take Action award Note: You can buy this award from your council shop or on the GSUSA website.

Steps Girls stand in front of guests and share their Take Action project with the group. They can make this into a “show and tell” by showing before and after photos or video from their Take Action project. Ask Ambassadors to stand in front of their audience.

SAY: Each girl will share something special or important that she learned on the Outdoor Journey. Give each Senior a chance to speak.

SAY: Please step forward when I say your name to accept your awards.

Lead a round of applause for each girl as she steps forward.

SAY: You have completed your Outdoor Journey and earned your badges. Now you are earning your Take Action award because you did something to make the world a better place. Now we’ll start our celebration! Include any activities—such as taking photos, dancing or singing a special song—which girls decided to do as part of the celebration.

Activity 4: Closing Ceremony: Closing the Take Action Circle

Time Allotment 10 minutes

Materials • None Steps Ambassadors and guests stand in a circle. Girls lead the closing ceremony and end with a Friendship Squeeze.

SAY: We’d like to end our time together with a closing ceremony. Have Ambassadors and guests stand in a circle and invite their guests to join in. Ask girls to go around the circle and say a word or two about what their Take Action project meant to them. Have girls lead the close of the meeting in the way they chose—for example, a song, poem, or a cheer.

SAY: And now we’ll finish with our Girl Scout tradition, a Friendship Squeeze. End the meeting with a Friendship Squeeze with Ambassadors and guests.

Brainstorming Tips: Think, Pair, Share

Think, Pair, Share is a great way to make sure all girls have a chance to be heard when making troop decisions.

HOW TO RUN A THINK, PAIR, SHARE ACTIVITY: Lead girls through the basic steps by telling them they will:

Break into small groups.

Listen to the question or prompt.

Think about their answers. • Girls may want to write their answers down. • Twenty seconds should be enough time, since girls will need to sit quietly.

Pair with other girls. • Girls talk with one to three other girls (depending on group size), making sure everyone has a chance to share their answers. If there’s time, it’s OK for girls to ask questions about each other’s answers. • For pairs, 20 seconds should be enough time. If your troop enjoys discussion, consider extending this to 1 to 2 minutes.

Share with the group. • Girls share their answers with the larger group. • This can be completed in 20–30 seconds, but will run longer based on group size and how the group sharing is done.

There are two ways to set up group sharing:

Strongly recommended: One girl shares the best/most interesting/summary answer for the group. This approach is great if you’re running short on time. It also helps develop conflict resolution and compromise skills.

Optional: Each girl shares her partner’s answer. This helps girls develop active listening skills, but will run longer because all girls are sharing.

Leave No Trace

An important part of preparing girls to head outdoors is to help them understand and embrace the seven basic principles of Leave No Trace.

Leave No Trace principles help girls understand how to enjoy the natural world in a way that avoids human-created impacts. These principles can be applied anywhere girls go outside, whether it’s a backyard, a schoolyard, a state park or the backcountry.

Depending on your troop level, share or create a handout with these Leave No Trace principles for appropriate age groups:

Leave No Trace for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors:

Know Before You Go. Pack the right gear for your outdoor trip. Know the rules for where you are going. Choose The Right Path. Stay on marked trails, don’t take shortcuts and trample plants and flowers. Trash Your Trash. Make sure to put all trash, including food, in a bag or covered trash can. Leave What You Find. Don’t pick flowers and plants, hurt trees, or collect anything from the outdoors, like pinecones or seashells. Be Careful With Fire. If allowed to build a fire, make sure it’s a small one. Follow safety rules. And make sure the fire is completely out before you leave. Respect Wildlife. Watch wildlife from a distance. Be Kind To Other Visitors. Be nice to others you meet in the outdoors. Try not to make loud noises.

Leave No Trace for Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors:

Plan Ahead. Find out about the place you are going. Are there special regulations or concerns for the area? Do you have the right gear for the weather? Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces. Stay on established trails. Camp at established campsites whenever possible. Dispose of Waste Properly. Pack out what you carry in including all trash, leftover food and litter. Leave What You Find. Leave nature as it is, which means leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them. Don’t build structures, dig ditches or cut healthy trees or bushes. Minimize Campfire Impacts.

Campfires are a special part of a Girl Scout’s outdoors experience: Only start a fire in an established fire ring, keep it small, and put it out properly. Respect Wildlife. Don’t approach, feed or follow any animals, watch them from a distance. Be Considerate of Other Visitors. Respect other visitors so they have a good experience in the outdoors, too. Yield to other users on the trail, camp away from trails and other visitors, keep your voice and noise level down.

Tips for Working with Multi-Level Groups for Older Girls

Leading a multi-level troop can be lots of fun, but also challenging!

Multi-level troops are naturally set up to create a more girl-led environment.

• Older girls have a unique opportunity to lead. They can serve as role models for younger girls, creating an enhanced leadership experience for all involved. They can explain more advanced concepts, which gives younger girls a powerful near- peer experience.

• Younger girls have aspiration built right into their experience. As they interact with the older girls, they learn what’s possible for them.

Multi-level troops offer all girls a diversity of perspective. When they do an activity together:

• Older girls approach it with confidence and skill, based on their experience.

• Younger girls bring a sense of wonder and imagination that makes the activity more creative and fun for the older girls.

Follow these tips and insights to help make your multi-level troop experience with Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors fun, not challenging:

• Offer younger girls more concrete guidance to help them express their thoughts and come up with ideas.

• Older girls will have more nuanced understandings of interpersonal interactions and how Girl Scouts can take action, as well as more in-depth knowledge about the subject matter. They will bring up more complex concepts, which won’t be familiar to younger girls. This is a great opportunity to ask older girls to share their knowledge with younger girls. Ask questions like, “Can you give us an example of that?” or “Can you describe that for everyone in the group?”

• Sometimes older girls have a variety of experience and it seems impossible to get all the girls on the same page. That’s all OK; just customize your activities based on your experience with your troop and make sure they have the opportunity to come to a consensus.

• Younger girls might need more help and it’s natural that older girls will help them, too. But make sure to treat older girls like troop members, not as mini-troop leaders.

• Help older girls feel welcomed and valued by giving them leadership opportunities, such as guiding a discussion or acting as a scribe. Cadettes may want to earn their Leader in Action award by mentoring the younger girls.

• Give older girls more responsibility in troop decision-making. While all girls should be involved in decision-making at some level, older girls will be able to offer good insights about how to make things work better for them. When older girls make a suggestion that can reasonably be implemented, try it out and acknowledge their contribution.

• Encourage all girls to help hand out supplies and snacks and be part of how the meeting is run.

Leave No Trace Principles for Older Girls

Plan Ahead. Find out about the place where you are going. Are there special regulations or concerns for the area? Do you have the right gear for the weather?

Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces. Stay on established trails. Camp at established campsites whenever possible.

Dispose of Waste Properly. Pack out what you carry in including all trash, leftover food, and litter.

Leave What You Find. Leave nature as it is, which means leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them. Don’t build structures, dig ditches, or cut healthy trees or bushes.

Minimize Campfire Impacts. Campfires are a special part of a Girl Scout’s outdoor experience: Only start a fire in an established fire ring, keep it small, and put it out properly.

Respect Wildlife. Don’t approach, feed, or follow any animals—watch them from a distance.

Be Considerate of Other Visitors. Respect other visitors so they have a good experience in the outdoors, too. Yield to other users on the trail, camp away from trails and other visitors, keep your voice and noise level down.

Girl Scouts Readiness in Camping

Minimal Impact Outdoor Skills A core value of Girl Scouting is to encourage environmental stewardship and leadership by practicing Leave No Trace principles and minimal impact camping to help protect the natural environment.

Leave No Trace skills are reflected in the Outdoor Journeys as girls move through a progressive series of activities, like backyard campouts, overnights at Girl Scout facilities, hikes in local and state parks, or trips in back country wilderness areas.

Some of the concepts of minimal impact camping can be taught before girls go camping. Girls need to understand that their daily actions have an effect on the environment. For example: • At troop meetings each girl should be responsible for cleaning up after herself, not wasting materials, turning off unnecessary lights, conserving water, and leaving the meeting place cleaner then she found it.

When girls move from an indoor setting to the outdoors, have them: • Find out what to wear for different kinds of weather. • Go outdoors for a hike, backyard sleep out, or nature walk. • Appreciate the environment by spotting different types of plants, or watching birds and animals. • Learn safety rules for outdoor activities. • Learn to read a map to get where she wants to go. • Try some simple camp food preparation.

The First Overnight Trip Overnights away from home allow girls to test themselves in a new but safe circumstance that they helped plan and prepare. Girls grow as a result because they: • Learn teamwork skills. • Forge friendships. • Build self-confidence. • Learn how to live and work in a new environment. • Build bonds with adults. • Increase their skills and feel good about their accomplishments.

The first time away on Girl Scout trip is a big step and real adventure, especially for younger girls. Consider these guidelines for a girl’s first overnight: • She should want to go. • She should not be afraid to be away from her home or family overnight (and her family should be prepared to let her go). • She should be able to cope with new circumstances such as:

o meeting new people o visiting strange places o darkness (no electricity or nightlight), different night noises, insects, and other small creatures o sleeping in a strange bed or on a pad on the floor • She can function as a member of the group. • She is willing to sleep, eat, and play with all girls, not just her best friends. • She can be flexible, not always have her own way. • She can share her space and manage it with little privacy.

The following indicators can help you know if a girl has the skills and knowledge to enjoy an overnight experience: • She can participate in planning a simple trip; use a kaper chart or similar assignment sheet, and follow written, verbal, or illustrated instructions for food preparation. • She can wash dishes, clean up the kitchen for cooking area, and store food properly. • She has practiced packing and repacking her luggage, unrolling and rolling her bedroll or sleeping bag, using a flashlight, etc. • She has been on a series of day trips, has participated in cookouts, or has been on an overnight backyard or family camp trip.

What type of overnight? When girls are ready for an overnight camping trip, the next step is to decide what type of experience is right. Usually: • Younger girls camp in lodges, cabins, backyards or platform tents at an established Girl Scout site. • Older, more experience campers choose a more challenging type of camping such as backpacking, horse packing, or a canoe trip.

Your Girl Scout council has policies and procedures regarding appropriate distances and types of trips for girls and can provide guidance. Always consult Safety Activity Checkpoints for important camping guidelines.

CAMPSITE CHECKLIST

Is the area for your campsite flat and dry?

Were the sticks and stones cleared away?

Did you set up a separate area for cooking, hand washing, and dishwashing?

For your cooking area:

Can animals get at your food?

Are your coolers stashed in animal-proof containers?

Are there two trees nearby where you can tie a rope between them to hang things?

For your sleeping area:

Are the tents spread out so there isn’t too much traffic in one area?

Are the openings to your tents facing each other?

For your fire building area:

Are you using a fire ring that is already at the campsite?

What kind of sticks are you using to build your fire?

Are there any trees or plants near your fire ring?

What size fire will you make?

How will you extinguish your fire?

Girl Scout Volunteer Take Action Guide

What’s the difference between a community service project and a Take Action project?

Community Service makes the world better by addressing a problem “right now.” For example, collecting cans of food for a food pantry feeds people “right now.” Gathering toys for a homeless family shelter makes kids happy “right now.” Providing clothing and toiletries to people after a fire or flood helps them “right now.” These acts of kindness are important ways to help people—right now.

Take Action encourages girls to develop a project that is sustainable. That means that the problem continues to be addressed, even after the project is over. Sustainability simply means coming up with a solution that lasts.

For example, girls might want to do something about trash in a local park. If they go to the park and pick up trash, they’ve solved the problem for today—but there will be more trash to pick up tomorrow.

Instead, girls could explore why there’s so much trash. Here’s what they might discover:

1. There aren’t enough trash cans in the park. 2. The trash cans are hard to find. 3. People have to walk out of their way to throw away trash because of where the cans are placed. 4. People don’t realize the importance of putting trash in the trashcans.

Here’s how girls might address these issues:

Issues 1–3: Make a presentation to the city council to report on their findings and make suggestions for improvement, such as adding more trash cans or moving them to more visible or convenient positions.

Issue 4: Create a public awareness campaign that encourages people to use the trash cans instead of littering.

What are the steps of a Take Action project? Girls team up to:

• Identify a problem • Come up with a sustainable solution • Develop a team plan • Put the plan into action • Reflect on what they learned

Keep it girl-led: Girls should actively participate in each step in order for this to be girl- led. Younger girls will need more guidance, but they can and should decide as a team what problem they want to address.

How do girls make their project sustainable? Here are three ways to create sustainable change: 1. Make your solution permanent. 2. Educate and inspire others to be part of the change. 3. Change a rule, regulation or law.

Here are some specific examples you can use to help girls understand what sustainable Take Action projects look like.

Keep it girl-led: These examples are intended to give a sense of what a Take Action project could look like at different grade levels. Please do not choose a project from this list for girls to do! If girls are told what to do, they won’t learn key leadership skills, such as decision-making, compromise, conflict resolution, and teamwork.

Issue: We could conserve water if more people collected rainwater and used it to water plants. Solution 1: Make it permanent. Make rain collection devices for family or friends that can be installed in their yards. Give them a list of different ways to use rainwater and how they’re helping the Earth. Solution 2: Educate and inspire others. Create a handout, video tutorial, or show-and-tell presentation about how to make a rain collection device and how to use rainwater—and how that helps the Earth.

Issue: Parents often run their engines outside the school as they wait to pick up or drop off their children, which pollutes the air. Solution: Change a rule, regulation or law. Make a presentation to the school board or administrators about why this is a problem and suggest a new rule that makes the pick-up/drop-off area a “no idling” zone.

Issue: There’s no sidewalk along a street near the elementary school, which makes it dangerous for children to walk home. Solution: Make it permanent. Make a presentation to the city council about the problem and suggest that they build a sidewalk. Note: Even if the council doesn’t vote to create a sidewalk, the girls have earned their Take Action award because they came up with a sustainable solution and took action through their presentation. Extra Inspiration: Do an online search for “Girl Scout Brownies Convince City Hall to Build Sidewalk.”

Issue: There have been several accidents at a busy intersection that doesn’t have a stoplight. Solution: Make it permanent. Research the number of accidents and make a presentation to the city council, asking that they have a stoplight installed.

Issue: The local park doesn’t have a swing for children with disabilities. Solution: Make it permanent. Make a presentation to the city council explaining the problem and offering to use troop money from the cookie sale to help pay for the swing. Extra Inspiration: Do an online search for “How One Brownie Troop Became Social Entrepreneurs.”

Issue: We should recognize women who have helped their communities and made the world a better place in all kinds of ways. Solution: Educate and inspire others. Research the “hidden figures” in your community (unsung women who’ve done great things). Create a display about their accomplishments for a library or community center.

Issue: The local shelter is having a hard time getting rescue animals adopted. Solution: Educate and inspire others. Use your photography skills to create pet portraits for the shelter’s website. Use your writing skills to craft heart-warming bios for each portrait.

33 Ways to Take Action

1. Make and install something outside (benches, bird houses, dog run, ropes course, sensory trail, Little Library, etc.) 2. Plant something (butterfly garden, tree, wind chime garden, etc.) 3. Make something inside (Maker Space, reading room, etc.) 4. Create a collection (children’s books children’s hospital or family shelter, oral histories for town museum, etc.) 5. Advocate for building a permanent community improvement (sidewalk, bridge, park, streetlights, stoplight, walking trail, etc.) 6. Do a show-and-tell 7. Create a poster campaign 8. Perform a skit 9. Make a “how to” handout 10. Draw a comic 11. Give a speech 12. Write and perform a song 13. Make an animated movie

14. Make a live-action movie 15. Make a presentation 16. Create a workshop (perhaps in partnership with a local business or organization) to teach a skill such as coding, camping, canoeing, robotics, sewing, car care, healthy eating, gardening, home repair, budgeting, etc. 17. Create a workshop to teach others about healthy living (exercise, nutrition, mental health, etc.) 18. Create a social media campaign 19. Make video tutorials to teach a skill 20. Organize an email campaign 21. Organize a petition 22. Organize an event (concert, play, poetry slam, art exhibit, sporting event, field day) to raise awareness about an issue 23. Make a “playbook” to help others follow your lead (how to mentor robotics teams, organize a workshop or event, advocate with city council, create an online petition, change a law, etc.) 24. Make an app that helps people take action on an issue 25. Create a website 26. Write an op-ed or letter to the editor of a newspaper or magazine 27. Start a blog 28. Make a presentation to your school principal 29. Make a presentation to your school board 30. Make a presentation to your city council 31. Speak up at your representative’s town hall meeting 32. Create an online petition 33. Advocate for a law with your state government

Need other ideas? Check out “Girls Changing the World” on the GSUSA website [http://www.girlscouts.org/en/for-girls/girls-changing-the-world.html]. Girls post their Take Action and Bronze/Silver/Gold Award projects on this site. You can search by project topic or grade level. (And after the troop has done their project, please post it so they can inspire other girls!)

The Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.

7 Steps to Take Action

1. Choose an issue • Make a list of all the issues you care about, from hunger to homelessness to caring for animals. • Look around your community. What problems do you see? Add them to your list. • Pick one issue to focus on right now, and save that list of ideas for future Take Action projects.

2. Learn about your issue • Talk to experts to get more information. • Talk to the people you want to help and ask them what they need.

3. Test possible solutions • Brainstorm some possible solutions, and then get suggestions about how to improve them from experts, the people you want to help, and others. • Use the feedback to help you choose the one idea you want to focus on.

4. Make your solution sustainable so that the change continues even after the project is done. You can: • Make your project permanent. When you create something physical, the change is lasting. For example, you could: o install swings at your local park; o convince the city council to build a new sidewalk or create bike lanes; or o make benches for an outdoor area at your school.

• Spread the word. When you increase awareness of an issue, you inspire others to take action, too. That “ripple effect” keeps the change going. For example, you could: o put on a skit at a school assembly about how to save water; o create and post a video about the dangers of distracted driving; or o develop a social media campaign to get teens across the country to sign an anti-bullying pledge.

• Change the rules. When you get a regulation or law changed, the effects will last. For example, you could: o lobby the school board to change rules about dress codes or computer access;

o research traffic accidents in your town and lobby for lower speed limits; or o work with the principal to create a “no idling” zone in front of the school.

5. Make a plan • Create a timeline of what you need to do. • List all the resources you need, including materials and money. • Ask other people—like friends, family, neighbors, teachers, and local business owners—to help you.

6. Reflect • When your project’s done, take some time to think about what worked, what didn’t, and what you would do differently in the future. This step is key to developing as a leader!

7. Celebrate • Taking action to make the world a better place is a huge accomplishment. Pat yourself on the back and thank everyone who helped you along the way!

• Which issue do you want to choose for your Take Action project? Write it in the center circle below.

• What are possible solutions? Write them in the outer circles below.

Possible Possible solution #1 solution #2 My Take Action project issue is:

Possible Possible solution #3 solution #4

Awards Girl Scout Girl Scout Girl Scout BRONZE Award® SILVER Award® GOLD Award®

Grade Girls must be in 4th or 5th Girls must be in 6th, 7th, or 8th Girls must be in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades grades and a registered grades and a registered Girl Scout and a registered Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador. Girl Scout Junior. Cadette.

Overview Complete a Junior Journey. Complete a Cadette Journey. Complete two Journeys (Senior or Ambassador) Be part of a group where Work as an individual or in a small or earn the Silver Award and complete one girls take the lead. group where girls take the lead. Senior or Ambassador Journey. Take action on a Take action on a community issue Individually girl-led; girl selects and recruits her community issue the that the girls care about. project advisor. group cares about. Help and guidance provided by Take action on a community issue the girl cares Help and guidance the volunteer. about. provided by the volunteer. Suggested hours included in the Help and guidance provided by project advisor. Suggested hours included girl, adult, and council material. Suggested hours included in the girl, adult, and in the girl, adult, and *Council approval needed for any council material. council material. money-earning. *Council approval needed for any *Council approval needed money-earning. for any money-earning.

Take Action Group Take Action project Individual or group Take Action Individual Take Action project that focuses on Project focuses on something the project that focuses on something something girls care about and girls care about that they girls care about and makes the makes a lasting impact in the local community, would like to improve local neighborhood or community region, or beyond. within their Girl Scout or better. Puts the Promise and Law into action. local community. Puts the Promise and Law into Puts the Promise and Law action. into action.

Sustainable After the project is Girls demonstrate an Take Action project includes provisions to ensure complete, girls develop an understanding of sustainability sustainability. understanding of in the project plan and sustainability by talking implementation. together about how solutions can be lasting.

Global After the project is Girls connect with new friends Girls identify national and/or global links to complete, girls develop an outside their immediate their selected issue. They learn from others understanding of the community, learn how others and develop a plan to share the results of their wider world by talking have solved similar problems, and project beyond the local community. together about how determine whether others’ ideas others may experience the can help with their plan. same problem that their project helped resolve.

Project Volunteer Volunteer or council Council or council’s Gold Award Committee Approval

Resources Junior Journey book Cadette Journey book Senior and/or Ambassador Journey books Bronze Award guidelines Silver Award guidelines on GSUSA Gold Award guidelines on GSUSA website and on GSUSA website website Go Gold Online Adult guide on GSUSA Adult guide on GSUSA website Adult guide on GSUSA website website Council guide on Pearl Council guide on Pearl Council guide on Pearl Council learning opportunities Council learning opportunities Council learning opportunities